The canyon has become a powder keg. The victory against the Saurians has evaporated, replaced by a palpable tension between two factions: Kaelen and his mercenaries, and me. I am alone, seriously wounded, protecting a living treasure against thirty armed men exhausted by battle. The odds are overwhelming.
"Don't be a fool, kid," Kaelen repeats, his voice low and threatening. He takes a step forward. "You're wounded. You're alone. You can't win. Give us the egg. You'll get your share. A double share. You'll be rich."
He is trying to negotiate, but his men are beginning to circle me, their swords drawn. This is not a negotiation. It is an ultimatum.
"This egg is not an object," I say, my voice trembling with pain and rage. "It's a life. You can't sell it."
"Everything has a price," Kaelen retorts. "Especially life. That's the first lesson you learn in this business."
I look around. There is no way out. I am trapped, just as the Saurian King was a few minutes ago.
My gaze meets Lyanna's. She has remained in the background, her expression unreadable. She is observing the scene, her analytical mind working at full speed. Kaelen? Or me? Loyalty to her company? Or fascination with the unique power I represent?
"Lyanna!" Kaelen barks. "Immobilize him! A paralysis spell! Do it now!"
This is the moment of truth. Her choice will decide my fate.
She raises her staff. Her green eyes fix on me. I brace myself for the impact, for the wave of energy that will pin me in place.
But she does not aim at me.
She pivots and slams her staff on the ground. A shockwave of pure magical force explodes outward, throwing the nearest mercenaries backward.
"No," she says, her voice resonating with a new authority. "That's enough, Kaelen."
Kaelen stares at her, stunned. The betrayal on his face is absolute. "What are you doing, Lyanna? Are you turning against us? For him?"
"I am not turning against the company," she replies, positioning herself between Kaelen and me, forming a fragile shield. "I am stopping it from making a stupid mistake. This egg is not a simple treasure. It is a primordial artifact. Killing it or selling it could have consequences we cannot even imagine. And killing Reinhardt..." She glances at me. "Is killing the man who just saved our lives and secured our victory. It would be a betrayal of our own code."
"The only code is profit!" Kaelen yells. "Have you lost your mind!"
He raises his sword, ready to strike her. But Lyanna is ready. A Mana Barrier shimmers into existence before her, blocking the blow.
"I won't let you," she says, her calmness a stark contrast to Kaelen's fury.
The mercenary camp is divided. Some hesitate, loyal to Kaelen but respectful of Lyanna's power. Others seem ready to fight. It is a stalemate.
I take advantage of this chaos. It is my only chance to escape.
"Lyanna!" I shout. "The north exit! The explosives!"
She understands immediately. The dwarves collapsed the entrance, but they can also clear it.
She raises her staff and chants an incantation. A massive wall of fire erupts between our small faction and the rest of the mercenaries, forcing them back. The roar of the flames creates a perfect diversion.
"Run!" she yells at me.
I don't need to be told twice. I run, my body protesting with every step, the egg clutched to me. Lyanna is right behind me, casting protective spells to cover us.
We reach the rockfall blocking the north exit. It is an impassable wall of stone.
"Borin!" I yell with all my might, hoping the dwarf is on the other side and has understood the situation.
For a few agonizing seconds, nothing happens. Behind us, Kaelen's mercenaries are beginning to circle the wall of fire.
Then, we hear a rumble. Another explosion, smaller, more controlled, shakes the rock. An opening forms, just large enough for us to squeeze through.
Borin is on the other side, his beard covered in soot. "I saw the whole thing," he grumbles. "Kaelen's gone mad. Greed's rotted his brain." A few other dwarves and a handful of mercenaries who have chosen Lyanna's side are with him.
We slip through the opening. Borin and his dwarves then collapse the passage behind us, sealing us off from the rest of the company.
We are free. But we are now fugitives. We have betrayed the Iron Claw. Kaelen will never forgive us.
We regroup outside the canyon, a small, motley band of traitors. There are about ten of us in all. Lyanna, Borin, myself, and a few mercenaries who have more loyalty to the mage than to their greedy leader.
I collapse to the ground, exhausted, the pain from my wounds returning with a vengeance.
Lyanna kneels beside me. She places a hand on my chest and murmurs a healing incantation. A warm, soft light spreads through my body, soothing the pain, closing the wounds.
HP: 25/65 → 45/65
"Thank you," I breathe.
"Don't thank me. We're in the same boat now," she says, but there is a weary smile on her lips. "A company of renegade mercenaries, led by an ambitious mage and a mysterious kid who talks to eggs. We're quite a sight."
I look at the egg in my arms. It pulses gently, calmed.
"What do we do now?" Borin asks.
All eyes turn to me. I have the egg. I have, by force of circumstance, become the leader of this small rebellion.
I look to the north, toward the unknown expanses of the Untamed Lands. Kryndal is behind us, the Bastion is now a nest of enemies. There is no turning back.
"We move forward," I say. "We find a safe place for this egg. And we become strong enough to never have to run again."
Lyanna nods, her green eyes shining with a new light. It is no longer curiosity. It is determination.
A new company was born tonight, in blood and betrayal. A company with no name, no banner. Just a group of outcasts, united around a living artifact and a boy who carries a world-devouring hunger within him. And our story is only just beginning.